With their quickly swiveling eyes and vibrantly pigmented skin, chameleons are incredible animals to study. There are numerous species that can be found across multiple continents. Much is known about these lizards, yet just when scientists believe they have these riveting reptiles figured out, they learn even more about them. Chameleons are interesting animals to study because they have distinctive physical features in addition to color changing abilities, and they vary from species to species. Chameleons have multiple physical characteristics that help them respond to their environment, including specialized eyes, tongue, feet, tail, and skin. According to the San Diego Zoo, chameleons are the only lizards that can move both eyes independently,
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However, in 2015, a group of physicists and biologists from the University of Geneva discovered that the process is actually much more complex. Professor Michel Milinkovitch elucidated that in addition to pigment, chameleon cells contain “specialized skin cells” with tiny crystals. These crystals are arranged in a lattice that shifts; the crystals move away or closer together to reflect different wavelengths of light. The closer the crystals are in relation to each other, the smaller wavelengths they reflect such as violet or blue. Smaller wavelengths such as red are reflected the further away the crystals are from each other. The theory now is that chameleons use a combination of moving the crystals and dispersing pigment to produce the desired color (qtd in …show more content…
The smallest chameleon is a leaf chameleon that was discovered five years ago, and it is half an inch long. The largest chameleon is a Parson’s chameleon. It can grow to be twenty-seven inches long (Bradford). Yet these are not the only species; sources disagree on the exact number of discovered species, but there are at least 180, and according to Encyclopædia Britannica “additional ones remain to be named” (Vitt). Encyclopædia Britannica goes on to say that “About half of the species occur only in Madagascar, whereas others occur mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. Two species occur in Asia; one is native to southern India and Sri Lanka, and the other is found from the Middle East to southern Spain” (Vitt). This means that chameleons naturally inhabit three different continents, not to mention the chameleons kept in captivity all around the world. They typically live in trees and bushes where they can climb to catch prey (Bradford). The various habitats affect the diet of each species of chameleon. San Diego Zoo states that chameleons “[G]enerally eat insects such as locusts, mantids, grasshoppers, stick insects, and crickets. Some larger chameleons also eat small birds and other lizards. A few species have been known to eat a bit of plant material” (“Chameleons”). The level of endangerment also
However, in 2015, a group of physicists and biologists from the University of Geneva discovered that the process is actually much more complex. Professor Michel Milinkovitch elucidated that in addition to pigment, chameleon cells contain “specialized skin cells” with tiny crystals. These crystals are arranged in a lattice that shifts; the crystals move away or closer together to reflect different wavelengths of light. The closer the crystals are in relation to each other, the smaller wavelengths they reflect such as violet or blue. Smaller wavelengths such as red are reflected the further away the crystals are from each other. The theory now is that chameleons use a combination of moving the crystals and dispersing pigment to produce the desired color (qtd in …show more content…
The smallest chameleon is a leaf chameleon that was discovered five years ago, and it is half an inch long. The largest chameleon is a Parson’s chameleon. It can grow to be twenty-seven inches long (Bradford). Yet these are not the only species; sources disagree on the exact number of discovered species, but there are at least 180, and according to Encyclopædia Britannica “additional ones remain to be named” (Vitt). Encyclopædia Britannica goes on to say that “About half of the species occur only in Madagascar, whereas others occur mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. Two species occur in Asia; one is native to southern India and Sri Lanka, and the other is found from the Middle East to southern Spain” (Vitt). This means that chameleons naturally inhabit three different continents, not to mention the chameleons kept in captivity all around the world. They typically live in trees and bushes where they can climb to catch prey (Bradford). The various habitats affect the diet of each species of chameleon. San Diego Zoo states that chameleons “[G]enerally eat insects such as locusts, mantids, grasshoppers, stick insects, and crickets. Some larger chameleons also eat small birds and other lizards. A few species have been known to eat a bit of plant material” (“Chameleons”). The level of endangerment also